LAHORE: Hina Parvez Butt is a close aide of PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz and a lawmaker in the Punjab Assembly. Here she talks to Bol News about Punjab’s political situation, PML-N’s internal dynamics as well as the PTI government’s performance in the province.

Who will be the next prime minister of Pakistan?

Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif InshaAllah. He is our leader, our quaid and if we win the next elections — and we are going to win InshaAllah — he will decide about this particular matter and rest of the party will abide by the decision.

Are you foreseeing an in-house change in Punjab ahead of next general elections?

I foresee that the Punjab government will last only as long as the opposition lets it. The people are very unhappy, coalition partners are upset, and even people from within the PTI are still struggling to understand the decision to keep Usman Buzdar as CM. So all the opposition really has to do is get the ball rolling on this matter and the CM will roll away with it.

What do you like most about Maryam Nawaz Sharif?

She is daring. She dared to challenge this hybrid regime and faced the consequences too but didn’t surrender to the policy of political victimization.

Who is your inspiration in politics?

Fatima Jinnah, Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, Benazir Bhutto and Maryam Nawaz.

Do you think the Buzdar-led govt has managed to address civic issues of Punjab?

Buzdar is an utter failure in Punjab and reflection of Imran Khan’s governance in Pakistan. Be it cleanliness or the dengue epidemic, the Buzdar administration failed to respond. Hospitals in Lahore are flooded with dengue patients, and who is responsible for this outcome? It was the Buzdar administration [which] remained indifferent to the people’s suffering whenever they needed the government’s support. Remember, Shehbaz Sharif tackled dengue in such a way that Punjab didn’t see any such epidemic in consequent years after the first wave.

What would be the salient features of your party’s manifesto in the next general elections?

The same as it has been for a very long time, regardless of the consequences that the party, especially its leadership, has had to endure. And that is to respect the vote and the government will respect you.

Who will win Punjab in the next general elections?

I’m sure journalists know the answer to this question better than politicians because you have one hand on the pulse of the people. And it’s not just PML-N that’s now saying that people are simply fed up with the PTI administration and long for the days when a PML-N government in Punjab brought order and progress into their lives.

Do you think your struggle for supremacy of parliament and sanctity of vote would succeed?

Yes, absolutely. There’s no other possibility in my mind. And the fact that we have had to struggle so hard for it only proves my point.

Are there any internal rifts within PML-N?

The best answer to that question itself lies in a question. Why do you think such rumours do the rounds every time the government is in trouble and is desperate to change the headlines, even if just for a while?

I am a very firm believer that politicians start talking about personalities instead of policies only when their policies have failed and they just don’t have the maturity to accept their mistakes and move on. So no, there are no rifts in the party. On the other hand, you can clearly see the rifts and groups forming in PTI. Once elections are announced, PTI will scatter like leaves falling from trees during autumn.

Maryam Nawaz is your close aide and mentor. What did you learn from her?

She is indeed my mentor. She has shaped not just my politics but also my personality, which I cherish greatly because she has helped me improve my political understanding as well as judgment.

She is a very inspiring leader. Her politics has been shaped by successive trials by fire right since the beginning. She has endured everything, including being away from her mother in her last days and not being close to her when she left this world.

Are Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz on one page in terms of PML-N’s policy and game plan?

Everything in PML-N is decided via consultation and in accordance with the instructions given by Mian Nawaz Sharif sahib.

What are your thoughts on social media trolling and how do you deal with it?

Being a young woman in politics, I could write a book on being harassed and trolled on social media. But it has also taught me a very important lesson. I am a politician and my business is politics, policy and legislation. And, once again, whenever I see anybody descending to personal attacks instead of sticking to policy, etc, I know that they have already lost.

You are often criticised on social media for what you wear, how you carry yourself. How do you deal with this mindset? What is your message for young and progressive youth like yourself who want to enter politics?

I can speak from experience that there are vicious, sometimes personal, attacks all over social media whenever you challenge the status quo. But I’ve also learned over time to concentrate on my job, which is politics and legislation, and not care whenever public reaction becomes personal.

Are you eyeing any ministry if your party manages to win the next general elections?

That’s not how I think. I chose to be a political worker and I try to do my best. When I’m out campaigning I try to reach every nook and corner of the constituency. And when I’m in the assembly I try to advance as much constructive legislation, in the interest of the people, as time permits. My record speaks for itself. If somewhere down the road I’m called upon to do service to my country in a higher capacity, I hope to bring the same commitment to that charge as well. But it’s not a goal.

Many critics say that Shehbaz Sharif [as CM] carried out development work in Lahore and ignored the other parts of Punjab. What is your take on this?

Now that the critics have seen the alternative, where do you think they stand on this particular matter?